Extract from the music trade journal “Musikhandel” of 1.1.1975:

In 1971 the music publishing group, Internationale Musikverlage Hans Sikorski, Hamburg, presented its own award for the first time, the “Goldenen Notenschlüssel”.

It was laid down in the regulations that this is an award intended solely for authors with their sphere of activity in the Federal Republic of Germany and who, through outstanding successes at international level, have contributed towards furthering the reputation of German music production in the world.

In accordance with the foundation regulations, the “Goldene Notenschlüssel” constitutes an exceptional award only conferred in exceptional cases.

Little remains to be said about the personalities honored in February 1975; all easy listening music fans are very familiar with their biographies, not least because all three artists are also high-ranking interpreters. The “Goldene Notenschlüssel” was awarded to Les Humphries, Bert Kaempfert and James Last for their outstanding contributions as composers and “sound makers”. Songs such as “Mama Loo” (Les Humphries), “Strangers In The Night” (Bert Kaempfert) or “Happy Heart” (James Last) have become world famous and the sound created by each of these three top musicians finds expression on millions of long-playing records all round the world.

All three sound finders began their career in Hamburg and their works are distributed throughout the world from Hamburg.

As the largest music publisher based in Hamburg, with subsidiaries in many countries important for music life, Sikorski music publishers undertook to carry out this long overdue honor.